November 2, 2008

Goold puts up intriguing list of free agents

4thebirds...... Hot stove stoking, anyone?

The list below is from a Derrick Goold's St. Louis Post-Dispatch late insertion story regarding the signing of LaRue. That already having been covered, by almost every newspaper and blog within clicking distance (hey, Goold needs some time off, too, you know, and our guess is that he had to flash-write this story on his day off), Goold comes through with some truly thought-provoking material in the form of a list of free agents that Cardinal Nation can chew on at least through Thanksgiving.

We'll see how many of these players remain to be stuffed in some lucky team(s)' Christmas stocking, or in some form of holiday gift, perhaps.

Who is most intriguing to you?

4thebirds off the cuff list includes:

David Eckstein, at second base. Eckstein simply has a lot left to offer and his fan base in St. Louis may be better than some of the current Cardinals (and that's no knock on anyone currently in St. Louis).

Brian Shouse, for the local boy potential, although that would do a lot more for that profiling, trucker's nightmare of a town, Effingham, than St. Louis.

Jim Edmonds, if Mozeliak and LaRussa part ways with St. Louis in the next week or so. Not likely, and too bad for Jimmy Ballgame, who has a restaurant in St. Louis, where fans would love him regardless of how well he did on the field, unlike Chicago, where it's always "Watcha done for me lately?"

Ryan Dempster, whose one choke game happened to be in the playoffs, is probably out of sight for a Gateway payroll, but whew...

Derek Lowe, Ben Sheets, only if Busch Stadium goes up $50 per butt-down.

Mark Grudzielanek, would be a quieter catch that would make some real noise in St. Louis, but the heck if I'm spelling that name all season.